Principality of Anvil
''A History of Anvil'' The origins of Anvil are lost in the mists of time, though it was likely founded as a slave camp by the Ayleids in the First Era. After their overthrow by the Slave Queen Alessia, it can only be assumed that Anvil took its place as a minor power in Colovia. If it had any involvement in the Larichian Rebellion of 478, it is not known. Under Bendu Olo, King of Anvil, the All Flags Navy attacks and destroys the sload of Thras, but then returns to relative obscurity after this shining moment Anvil does not enter prominently into written records until the War of Righteousness in the 2321st Year of the First Era when the western portion of the Imperial Province, the Colovian Estates, breaks off from the Alessian Empire and a brutal civil war is fought throughout the land. The Colovians battle the Nibeneans in a number of bloody conflicts, and the city of Cyrodiil is almost captured by the Colovians. As one of the Estates, Anvil took a major part by securing the borders, and sending military and financial aid to the more powerful city-states of Skingrad and Kvatch. For the next ten years, Anvil thrives, becoming a major port on the Abaecean Sea. Memories of the All Flags Navy spur a growth in the industry of ship-building, and it isn’t long until a mighty fleet of oar-and-sail ships are plying the trade lanes of the Abaecean, and even heavier ships are hunting down pirates. For over three hundred years, Anvil continues to grow until the early years of the 28th Century of the First Era when all of Colovia is ravaged by the Thrassian Plague. It is during this lean and turbulent time when the first Umbranox, Aespacian, comes to power by a successful coup, overthrowing the last of the Olo dynasty. Aespacian’s reign is brief, however, when his life is claimed by the Thrassian Plague, and his young son Rislav (named after the leader of the Larichian Rebellion) is crowned, with his mother as regent. A ruler that is but a mere boy is never an easy thing for a realm to tolerate, and Rislav’s mother was never popular with the people. A general rebellion could have broken out if it wasn’t for the Akaviri Invasion in the 2703rd Year of the First Era, and the rise of Reman. Like the other Colovian Estates, Anvil threw its support behind Reman from the get-go, and Rislav, now a teenager of fifteen summers, was present when his lord cowed the Nibenese at the gates of Cyrodiil itself. He was given the honor of carrying Reman’s crown at his coronation as well. The Battle of Pale Pass, however, laid claim to young Rislav’s life. Rislav, sheltering with other unable to fight in the battle, was slain by a Tsaeci ambush. For this he is known as Rislav the Martyr. With the Tsaeci now behind Reman’s lines, the battle seemed lost, but Rislav’s cousin, his father’s brother’s son, Dion Umbranox, along with Kantus Jeril, led their soldiers against the Tsaeci, routing the rear attack and reclaiming the body of the slain King of Anvil. After the battle, Rislav the Martyr was given an elaborate funeral, courtesy of Emperor Reman himself, and Dion was titled Count of Anvil in recognition for his heroism at Pale Pass alongside Kantus Jeril. Under the early Umbranox dynasty, Anvil once again thrives, recovering from the devastation caused by the Thrassian Plague. A brief civil conflict is fought between Rislav the Martyr’s mother and Dion, but assistance provided by Kantus Jeril of Chorrol allows Dion to lay full claim to Anvil, and forces the former regent into exile in Hammerfell. With peace restored, Dion engages in numerous public works projects in his attempts to beautify the city. His efforts attract the attention of the clergy of Dibella, and a number of religious orders dedicated to the Goddess of Beauty sprout up in Anvil. Along side this, or perhaps because of it, a spike in prostitution on the wharves is recorded. In the 2920th Year of the First Era, Anvil’s peace is disrupted by the assassination of Reman III, and the extermination of the Reman dynasty of emperors. Never on good terms with the Tsaeci remaining in Tamriel, due to the not-forgotten Rislav the Martyr, the relationship between Anvil and Imperial Authority chills. However, it isn’t until the 283rd Year of the Second Era that the ill-will between the two entities erupts into outright warfare. When the Potentate, Versidue-Shaie, declares martial law throughout Tamriel, and declares that all non-Imperial military forces disband, Anvil executes all Imperial officers in the county.' Because of the more dangerous lords of Skyrim, High Rock, and Hammerfell, the reckoning between the Empire and Anvil is put off for some years. It isn’t until the 297th Year of the Second Era that an Imperial army meets Anvil’s military in the field of battle, near the modern Gottshaw Inn. Countess Aglaia Umbranox is killed in the fighting, Anvil’s military and naval fleet are absorbed into the Imperial military, and Aglaia’s half-wit brother, Abeiron Umbranox, is created Count of Anvil. It is with Abeiron that the first traces of madness begin to pollute the Umbranox dynasty. For a multitude of generations, the senior branch of the Umbranox dynasty is afflicted with ever-increasing cases of insanity. Attempts by the Temple of Dibella to aid the afflicted are met with violence and crack-down on liberties Dibella’s clergy had been enjoying for centuries. In secret, with the aid of the clergy and numerous mercantile guilds, a member of a junior branch of the Umbranox dynasty plots to wrest authority from the madness afflicting the current regime. In the 340th Year of the Second Era, Iakobos Umbranox infiltrates Anvil castle with handful of conspirators and slays his cousins in their beds, and makes himself Count of Anvil. The Potentate Savirien-Chorak takes no notice. The reign of Count Iakobos is not pleasant, and mental instability is replaced with political instability. Due to rising bread prices, the people of Anvil riot in the street, and force Iakobos and his family into exile in Kvatch. For a year, the people attempt to set up some kind of democracy, but their failed attempts, coupled with the arrival of the Zanmee clans from over the Brena River, force the would-be revolutionaries to invite the Umbranox family back to Anvil. With power back in his hands, Count Iakobos brutally suppresses democratic feelings in the city, and publicly executes the ring-leaders of the rebellion. For the next several generations, the Umbranox family rules with an iron fist. However, trade and agriculture pick up once again, and in most annals of history this period of time is remembered as one of prosperity and stability. For the next several hundred years, Anvil’s fortunes rise and fall. Madness once again pollutes the Umbranox line, but not close to the degree of before. Peace and stability seems secured for the future, and the people of Anvil pass their time in more mundane pursuits. This period ends when the Anvil throws its support fully behind General Talos. The Colovians come together with their Nibenean brothers under the general, and begin the conquest of Tamriel. As Colovians, the men and women recruited from Anvil and inducted into the Second Legion, dubbed the “Colovian Red Legion”. A number of the Umbranox dynasty go on to become officers in this legion, and win the goodwill of General Talos through his campaigns. The Second Legion sees most of its conflicts in Hammerfell, fighting against the Raga under Thassad II. Against these worthy foes, the war grinds down into one of attrition, with neither side able to gain the advantage. However, with the death of Thassad, the Second Legion sweeps into Hammerfell at the behest of the Forbears faction, and crushes the Crowns. After the creation of the Septim Empire, the County of Anvil enjoys prosperity and stability it had not seen for centuries. The Cult of Dibella overtakes all other religious denominations in the city, and the settlement starts to become famed for its beautiful orchards, gardens, and architecture. During the War of the Red Diamond, Anvil is torn between supporting Potema or Kintyra. Although it eventually sends aid to Kintyra, the reigning count is assassinated by Potema sympathizers. Another conflict erupts in the 249th Year of the Third Era. The Camoran Usurper, encouraged by his successful subjugation of Valenwood, invades Colovia and Hammerfell. Anvil manages to hold back the Usurper’s hordes, but is unable to make any large contributions to his eventual defeat at the Battle of the Firewaves by Othrok of Dwynnen. During the Imperial Simulacrum, the County of Anvil is wracked with internal problems from the disruption of trade, resulting in the killing of Countess Antheia, wife of the ruling count, by an angry mob. Her death grieves the count greatly, and he erects numerous statuesof her all across the city, and names a public park in her honor. Following the death of Uriel Septim VII, Anvil is among a great number of cities menaced by the daedric invasion. Despite Count Corvus Umbranox being generally loathed by his people, his disappearance disheartens the defenders of the city. Milona, Corvus’s wife, tries to keep things afloat. In an attempt to preserve the bloodline in the event the city fell, Milona sent her children, along with her eldest, Thespides, to Rihad. However, after the Hero of Kvatch returned Corvus Umbranox to Anvil, and closed an Oblivion Gate menacing the city, serious war-planning began in the city. Anvil sent a fraction of its forces, under the heir Thespides, to the Battle of Bruma. After the death of Martin the Pretender, as he came to be known in Anvil, Imperial authority began to gradually weaken. Taking the chance, Corvus Umbranox declared that Anvil was no longer a mere county, but was a sovereign Principality. Category:Timeline Lore